Ford Pro has presented the next generation of the Transit Courier series, which is to be launched on the market this year. For the first time, there will also be an all-electric variant of this compact van with the E-Transit Courier. However, it will not follow until the end of 2024.
After the E-Transit and the E-Transit Custom, the new E-Transit Courier is the third fully electric commercial vehicle from the Ford Pro Transit model family. It will have an output of 100 kW and a maximum payload of up to 700 kilograms. The electric delivery van can tow trailers with a total weight of up to 750 kilograms. Ford has already revealed this much about the upcoming electric version at the premiere of the combustion engine model.
The manufacturer has not yet given any information about the capacity of the battery, and the range and prices will be announced later. On the other hand, there is already information about the charging power: on the AC side, the battery can be charged with up to 11 kW, and a charging process from ten to 100 per cent is supposed to take 5.7 hours. Even if the charging power drops below 11 kW in the range between 90 and 100 per cent, the battery in the E-Transit Courier should be slightly larger than 50 kWh – probably in the range of 55 kWh. The DC charging power is up to 100 kW, so the standard charging process from ten to 80 per cent should then take less than 35 minutes. Ford does not (yet) mention a bidirectional charging function or additional sockets in the charging compartment, as in the large E-Transit.
One thing is clear: with 100 kW of power, the E-Transit Courier is on a par with the competition (which is already available today). The countless Stellantis models, including offshoots of the cooperation partner Toyota, also have an output of 100 kW, while the trio Renault Kangoo Rapid, Mercedes eCitan and Nissan Townstar EV have an output of 90 kW. The batteries of the aforementioned competitor models are between 45 and 50 kWh, which allows (theoretical) WLTP ranges of roughly 280 to 300 kilometres.
Ford Pro emphasises that it is a “completely newly developed body”. The underlying platform is not mentioned; the predecessor still shared large parts of the technology with the Ford Fiesta or Ford B-Max. The new model, on the other hand, was developed for “significantly improved transport characteristics”. The load volume, for example, is to increase from 2.3 to 2.9 cubic metres (+25 per cent). More importantly, as the length of the load compartment increases by 18 centimetres to 1.8 metres and the loading width between the rear wheel arches increases from 1.01 to 1.22 metres thanks to a newly designed rear suspension, the transport of two Euro pallets becomes possible. The predecessor could only load one pallet.
In combination with the new through-loading opening in the partition wall and the fold-down passenger seat, it can be additionally enlarged so that now boards or pipes up to 2.6 metres long can also be loaded. And: although the E-Transit Courier is based on a combustion engine vehicle like the aforementioned competitor models, unlike them it gets a frunk. The front storage compartment under the bonnet of the E-Transit Courier holds 44 litres and is suitable for charging cables, a first aid kit or similar utensils.
In terms of dimensions, the new Transit Courier generation is to have an exterior length of 4.34 metres. The manufacturer puts the turning circle at 10.7 metres. In addition, the new generation will be more digital: the speedometer unit will be replaced by a twelve-inch “Digiboard” instrument panel, with a likewise twelve-inch infotainment touchscreen in the centre. Wireless smartphone connectivity via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay comes as standard, and Ford’s own SYNC4 sat nav is available by subscription. Ford equips every E-Transit Courier with the FordPass Connect modem as standard. On request, this enables several digital services from the Ford Pro ecosystem, such as a dedicated telematics service for fleet management.
Ford will offer the E-Transit Courier exclusively as a two-seater panel van in ‘Trend’ and ‘Limited’ trim levels. The estate version with a three-seat rear bench will only be available with combustion engines. Production of the new E-Transit Courier is scheduled to start in autumn 2024 at the Craiova plant in Romania.
“E-Transit Courier moves its segment up a level with uncompromised EV performance, higher load capacity and fully connected support including end-to-end charging solutions, Ford Pro E‑Telematics and uptime-boosting FORDLiive,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe. “Ford Pro’s long-standing market leadership gives us unrivalled insight into customers’ needs and means we can help them get big productivity from their compact vans with more connectivity and capability than ever before.”
Keyword: Ford E-Transit Courier coming at the end of 2024